The PBA is experimenting with a regional "animal pattern" championship series that will send 35 players to the World Series of Bowling.   Because of these changes the PBA also had a bigger turnout to their Regional tournaments.

The animal pattern series featured Cheetah, Viper, Scorpion and Chameleon as we've mentioned previously on the blog.  The different lane conditions gave players and opportunity to compete on a specific lane condition for a paid spot in the World Series.  In addition to the paid entrants to the World Series, the top overall player in each region also received a spot in the World Series.

The patterns have been in existance since 2008, with the idea behind them being that the public would be able to easily distinguish the lane conditions that professional bowlers confront.  These animal patterns are a part of the World Series and are also showcased in the PBA Experience Sport Bowling league held by the US Bowling Congress.

The all new regional format drew nearly 2,000 entrants for the 28 events.  The Cheetah pattern drew the biggest turnout and the Scorpion drew the least amount of people.  The overall turnout of 1,991 is almost 10 percent higher than the 170 PBA Regional tournaments this past year.

The animal patterns are clearly generating a lot of interest from bowlers across the country, which is exactly what the PBA wanted.  We love seeing the PBA have success when it comes to growth and it looks like the "animal pattern" is helping the sport of bowling expand.  Not only is the game expanding, but bowlers are getting the opportunity to experience what PBA bowlers go through with all the different lane conditions.  Being able to see what PBA bowlers go through should make it easier for all bowlers to appreciate the great bowlers that are on tour today.